Luke 9:28 - 36
28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure,[b] which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One;[c] listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. What is the meaning and significance of the transfiguration?
2. Why Moses and Elijah?
3. Wasn't Moses dead? How is he alive? Is he alive?
4. What's the significance of Peter wanting to make them tents?
5. What is the significance of the cloud and the voice from it?
6. Why did Jesus command them to be silent about this (from other Gospels)?
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/07/mark-91-13-and-he-said-to-them-truly-i.html
ReplyDeleteIt is fair to think that these two particular persons from the Old Testament appeared because they represent the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). The sum of Old Testament revelation came to meet with Jesus at the Mount of Transfiguration.
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The text might be troubling, however, to those who otherwise understand that people go to sleep at death to await a bodily resurrection at Christ’s return. How can Moses and Elijah have been present at the transfiguration if they are waiting for the resurrection?
To make sense of this, we must first understand two important principles. The first is that, while the general resurrection of God’s people will happen at the end of time, there have been individual resurrections recorded in the Bible. Christ’s resurrection, for instance, was not part of the general one. Neither were those of the saints who came forth from the grave after Christ’s resurrection (see Matthew 27:52, 53). The prophets Elijah and Elisha both performed resurrections during their ministries (see 1 Kings 17:17–22 and 2 Kings 4:32–35). Individual resurrections throughout history do not invalidate the general resurrection when Christ returns.
The second principle to understand is that some people have left the earth without dying, and therefore are not in need of a resurrection.
Moses and Elijah each fit one of these two categories.
The story recorded in 2 Kings 2 tells us unmistakably that Elijah was taken to heaven without first dying.
Moses, on the other hand, died in the wilderness before the Israelite people entered into the Promised Land. The story of his death, as recorded in Deuteronomy 34:5, 6, reveals something extraordinary. The Bible says that God Himself buried Moses, and that none of the Israelites were ever aware of his gravesite. This is the first biblical hint that something special awaited Moses after death.
There would be no need of a bodily resurrection if everyone immediately went to heaven to live in Christ’s presence at death; similarly, translation to heaven would have no special significance because everyone would go to heaven immediately upon death. Moses and Elijah act as evidence that death brings a sleep of unconsciousness while the sleeping saints await the return of Jesus Christ.
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With that, here are (I think) are parameters:
- Elijah and Moses (or their spirits of something) actually showed up (even if it was in a vision). It was actually them. I don't think it's possible that there was playacting going on. That is, angels or Jesus wasn't playing their parts (like puppets).
- Given the fact that the dead will rise in the last day, and Moses and Elijah were actually "there", here are some of the speculations I think things could work (non-exhaustive):
1. Everyone who is dead is actually dead (both soul and body). God resurrected Elijah and Moses early (both soul and body) for this occasion. Question: Where did they go after this? Did God kill them again? Did they go down into the city, get married and live out a normal life?
2. Everyone who is dead is in a state of sleep (their souls/spirits). It was just a matter of waking Moses and Elijah for this event - after which their souls went back to sleep.
3. All people up to Jesus' resurrection (from the Old Testament) are stored in Sheol, so Elijah and Moses are still "available" for something like this. Somehow, when Jesus died and was resurrected, he brought up the captives in his train.
4. Moses and Elijah had special "deaths". Elijah was taken straight up to heaven. Moses "died", but no one could find his body. They are two of the special ones, and thus, are available for missions such as this.
5. All people are dead or asleep until the Last Day. When we are resurrected at the Last Day, we ascend into a higher dimension - one outside of space and time. So, any of us are available at any time in earth's history for a mission such as this.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/07/mark-91-13-and-he-said-to-them-truly-i.html continued:
ReplyDelete------
What does the Bible mean when it speaks of Elijah coming again? Was this a literal prophecy, or did John the Baptist fulfill the prophecy in spirit? Or is it that the prophecy has a double-fulfillment: one of John the Baptist, and one of Elijah.
If neither John the Baptist, nor Jesus was Elijah come again, then who was Elijah? Jesus told the multitudes concerning John the Baptist that he was the messenger of Malachi 3:1 and the Elijah of Malachi 4:5 (Matthew 11:7-14, focusing on vs. 10, 14). On another occasion, after Jesus was transfigured and appeared with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. Jesus thought of John as the Elijah of Malachi 4:5 (Matthew 17:13). How could this be?
This does not deny that Elijah Himself will actually come again in his physical presence before Jesus returns to the earth to set up His millennial kingdom. It can be said, then, that John the Baptist partially fulfilled the prophecies of Malachi.
It may seem strange or even incorrect to say that a prophecy could be only partially fulfilled; however, we find that the Scriptures declare many prophecies to have dual references or partial fulfillment. In hermeneutics, this is called the double reference principle. Many of the prophecies concerning Jesus were double reference prophecies, meaning that they had an immediate fulfillment, and a future fulfillment.
Elijah will come back again in his physical body to prepare the way for Jesus' return. This will be fulfilled when Elijah comes back as one of the two witnesses during the tribulation period right before Jesus returns during the battle of Armageddon (Revelation 11:2-12).
Although the passage in Revelation does not specifically declare Elijah to be one of the two witnesses, many Bible scholars believe he is because the prophecies in Malachi need to be completely fulfilled, and the only place we find in the Bible where it could be describing Elijah coming again is this passage.
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In 2 Peter 1:16, however, the transfiguration is interpreted rather as a glimpse of the future glory of the Son of God at his second coming (cf. Matt 24:30 ). Still another interpretation is that the transfiguration is a proleptic glimpse of the glory that awaits Jesus at his resurrection ( Luke 24:26 ; Heb 2:9 ; 1 Peter 1:21 ). In light of mr 8:38 and 2 Peter 1:16 the second interpretation is to be preferred. The presence of Moses and Elijah is probably best interpreted as indicating that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah). Luke adds that Moses and Elijah spoke to Jesus of his "departure" or forthcoming death ( Luke 9:31 ). This fits well Luke's own emphasis on Jesus being the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Gospel writers seem also to have understood this account as the fulfillment of Jesus' words with respect to the disciples seeing the kingdom of God coming with power in their lifetime.
https://hartmangroupdevotionsmark.blogspot.com/2018/07/mark-91-13-and-he-said-to-them-truly-i.html continued:
ReplyDeleteThe answers to the questions that I've found:
1. Who and when did they see the kingdom of heaven come with power?
2. What was the purpose of the transfiguration?
These two questions are related. The Transfiguration was Jesus' inauguration of the kingdom of heaven - and it came with the power that was displayed in the Transfiguration. The kingdom of heaven actually started with Jesus' death and resurrection, when Jesus destroyed death and the kingdom of darkness. So, when does the Kingdom of Heaven come? The answer is in three parts: 1. The transfiguration, 2. Jesus death and resurrection, and 3. When Jesus comes again. All are related, but you can say that all three are significant steps in the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.
A little more on the Transfiguration: This was a significant event - an inauguration. Moses, who represented the Law, and Elijah, the greatest of the prophets, who represented the prophets, came to recognize the fulfillment of both the Law and the Prophets in Jesus. Although, it was important for the disciples to be there (as the human founders of the church), I speculate this would have happened without them there.
3. What was the purpose of the voice (that said, "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!")?
I suggest a couple of possible purposes: A. It was in response to Peter wanting to put them all on the same pedestal, when in fact Jesus was infinitely high above Moses and Elijah. B. It was to shock the disciples out of their insistent cultural blindness about who the Messiah was. Jesus was definitely the Messiah, but not the messiah that they kept insisting on. It was time to listen to what Jesus was saying about His death and resurrection and learn what He was all about.
4. Why did Jesus not want them to tell anyone about this until after He had risen?
Basically that culture's blind mis-understanding about who and what the Messiah was made it dangerous on all sides to know that Jesus was the Messiah. Very few could know until Jesus did the Messiah-job He came to do. If they did know, they would do stupid things with the knowledge (such as force Jesus to be king and start a war with Rome).
5. Why were they still confused about what rising from the dead first meant?
They still had those cultural blinders on that were keeping them from hearing and understanding what Jesus was teaching them.
6. Why did they ask about Elijah?
It was commonly taught in Jewish culture that Elijah comes and prepares the way for the Messiah. The disciples now knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but now they were wondering what happened to Elijah.
7. Who was the Elijah who was to come first and restore all things?
8. Who was the Elijah who has come?
Just like the response to the question, when did the kingdom come in power, the answer here is similar. Elijah is involved personally in the Transfiguration, the ministry of Jesus (including His death and resurrection), and when Jesus comes back. In the case of the Transfiguration and when Jesus comes back, (presumably) Elijah himself comes to do his proscribed tasks. In the case of Jesus ministry, it was John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and office of Elijah, to prepare the way for Jesus.
There's a mystery in this that I don't understand. What does it mean to have the spirit of Elijah and not be Elijah? John was enough of Elijah to have old testament scripture pointing to him and calling him Elijah. Yet, I don't think he was the same Elijah who attended the Transfiguration. I have no answer to this.
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I recall 2 Kings 2:9 where Elisha asks for "a double portion of your spirit" from Elijah. He received that, but didn't, obviously, actually become Elijah. That John had the spirit of Elijah and his office/function doesn't seem difficult to me.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-9-commentary says:
ReplyDeleteSteven Cole on while He was praying - Why would the eternal Son of God need to pray? Because He took on human flesh, yet without sin, and He lived in perfect dependence on the Father to show us how we, too, should live.
As an aside one might ask why Luke did not use metamorphoo in his Gospel like Matthew and Mark? Luke may have done this to avoid any similarity with pagan religious myths.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-9-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteJohn Martin on Moses and Elijah - The bodies of Moses and Elijah were never found. God buried Moses' body (Deut. 34:5-6), and Elijah did not die but was taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:11-12, 15-18). These two men represent the beginning and the end of Israel, for Moses, as the Lawgiver, founded the nation, and Elijah is to come back before the great and terrible day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5-6).
Peter, perhaps to prolong the glorious occasion, suggests celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles by building three booths, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he meant well, Peter’s comment was off because it put Jesus on the same footing as Moses and Elijah. The voice from heaven corrects this by removing Moses and Elijah and by stating emphatically, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Lu 9:35). These words also fulfill De 18:15, where Moses predicts that God will raise up another prophet and commands, “You shall listen to him.” Thus, the glory of Christ shows His superiority to and fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.
R Kent Hughes on Moses and Elijah - Why Elijah and Moses? Why not Isaiah and Jeremiah, or Daniel and Joseph? There are several reasons. Both these men had previously conversed with God on mountaintops—Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 31:18) and Elijah on Mount Horeb, another name for Sinai (1 Kings 19:8ff.). They both had been shown God's glory. Both also had famous departures from this earth. Moses died on Mount Nebo, after which God buried him in a grave known only to himself. Elijah was taken up alive in a chariot of fire. Both were expected to return again at the end of the age (concerning Elijah, cf. Lk 1:17; 9:8, 19; concerning Moses cf. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18). Moses was the great lawgiver, and Elijah was the great prophet. Moses was the founder of Israel's religious economy, and Elijah was the restorer of it. Together they were a powerful summary of the entire Old Testament economy.
Bock observes regarding Jesus' "departure" that "the disciples do not grasp this discussion's significance at the time(Ed: It is not clear they actually heard the conversation if one compares Lk 9:32), since they struggle with Jesus' predictions of His death later when they approach Jerusalem (Luke 18:31-34)."
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-9-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteOvercome with sleep - This would also support that this was a nocturnal event, and if so would make the Glory of the Son whose "face shone like the sun" (Mt 17:2) that much more dramatic.
MacArthur - A number of things prompted Peter’s hope that what he was witnessing was the inauguration of the kingdom. First, the Feast of Tabernacles was being celebrated at that time. Since that feast celebrated Israel’s exodus from Egypt, what better time could there be for Jesus’ exodus from the world? Further, Peter knew from Zechariah 14:16-19 that the Feast of Tabernacles was to be celebrated in the millennial kingdom. He also knew that according to Malachi 3:1 and Mal 4:5-6 that Elijah was associated with the coming of the kingdom.
John Martin - Peter may have been thinking of the Feast of Booths, a feast of ingathering long associated with the coming kingdom (cf. Zech. 14:16-21). Peter seemed to have assumed that the (Millennial) kingdom had arrived.
MacArthur adds that "Before the crown comes the cross; the path to the kingdom lies through Calvary. Before Jesus reigns as king, He must be the suffering servant of Isaiah 53. But the glorious vision they experienced that day would stay with the three apostles for the rest of their lives (2 Peter 1:16-18), reassuring them of the reality of the coming kingdom."
A cloud formed - This reminds us of God's appearances in the OT...
Rod Mattoon on the cloud
- This was the cloud that passed by Moses as God covered him in the cleft of the rock with his hand, so that Moses only saw the afterglow.
- It was the cloud that guided Israel out of Egypt.
- It was the cloud that rested upon the tabernacle and above the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place.
As an aside it had been 600 years since anyone in Israel had seen the Shekinah glory.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-9-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteLuke 9:35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!"
Matthew adds detail to the response of the disciples when they heard the Father speak from heaven - "When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” (Mt 17:6-7)
Tony Garlard comments: This is the unrehearsed response of all who have been privileged to see the glory of the Lord (Isa. 6:4; Ezek 1:28; 3:23; 43:3; 44:4; Da 8:17; 10:8, 16-17; Mt 17:6; Acts 9:4). It is as much in recognition of the power and might of God as in a realization of their utter unworthiness (Jdg. 6:22; 13:22; Isa. 6:5, 7).
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.....18‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you (Moses), and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. ‘It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18; 19 )
Hendriksen adds "Now if these men knew their Bible and interpreted it correctly, they realized that the voice—ending with "listen to him"—was a clear confirmation of Jesus' messiahship, for it reflected Deut. 18:15, a messianic passage (see Acts 3:22; 7:37) containing similar words ("to him y o u must listen").
Mark and Matthew add that the Lord gave the disciples instructions not to speak of His Transfiguration until after the resurrection, which Jesus had alluded to earlier in Lk 9:33.
Criswell explains "The disciples would be prepared to interpret the significance of the transfiguration only after the resurrection. If any account of this episode were related to the public, it would only fan the fires of popular messianic expectations and hinder the redemptive purpose of the Suffering Son of Man, the Messiah who must die on a cross....After the resurrection, all believers are sent into the world "to tell".
MacArthur - Matthew reveals the reason for their silence: “As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, ‘Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead’” (Matt. 17:9). The Lord had brought them there to be witnesses; why then would He command them not to reveal what they had seen? There were several features to Christ’s prohibition. First, what they had witnessed was so far removed from everyday reality that most people probably would not have believed the apostles’ report. They would have been casting this precious pearl before swine (cf. Matt. 7:6). Further, speaking openly of the kingdom might have caused the Romans, ever on guard against the possibility of insurrection, to prematurely execute Jesus and the apostles. Additionally, news of the vision could easily have incited the Jews to try again to make Jesus the leader of a revolt against Rome (cf. John 6:14-15). But most important, they could not preach a glorified Christ without the truth of His death and resurrection. Only after the resurrection would Peter (2 Peter 1:16-18), John (John 1:14), and James testify to the glorious preview of the second coming they had seen, in its proper relation to the cross and empty grave.
Matthew 17:10-13 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
https://www.preceptaustin.org/luke-9-commentary continued:
ReplyDeleteSteven Cole discusses - How to see the glory of Christ:
1. To see the glory of Christ, we must spend time alone with Him.
2. To see the glory of Christ, we must shake off our spiritual lethargy.
3. To see the glory of Christ, we must exalt Him above all else.
4. To see the glory of Christ, we must obey Him.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. What is the meaning and significance of the transfiguration?
It is one of the big six events in Jesus' life, which were:
- His birth (incarnation).
- His baptism.
- The transfiguration (His inauguration).
- His death.
- His resurrection.
- His ascension.
The transfiguration was the ceremony in which the Old Testament ended and the new Kingdom of God started.
2. Why Moses and Elijah?
They represented the Law and the Prophets, and were to witness the new Kingdom of God and Christ.
3. Wasn't Moses dead? How is he alive? Is he alive?
Elijah was taken up alive to heaven (we think). The Bible specifically said that Moses died. How was he alive now? There's a few options, my personal favorite being that Moses and Elijah were inserted into our space-time continuum at that place in time from outside. Other options might be that Moses came from Sheol (Abraham's Bosum), or that he was resurrected for this purpose.
4. What's the significance of Peter wanting to make them tents?
It was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles in which Israel made temporary shelters for themselves to remember their exodus from Egypt. It did say that Peter didn't know what he was talking about. Where Peter made a mistake is that he was thinking that Jesus was equivalent to the great Moses and Elijah (when in fact Jesus is infinitely greater). His mistake was so great that God corrected him via the cloud.
5. What is the significance of the cloud and the voice from it?
This cloud was the presence of God, which appeared at other important times in the history of Israel - usually having to do with important events, like the dedication of the temple. The voice was (almost certainly) the voice of God. God was there as a witness and signature of this very important ceremony where the Law was given over to the new Kingdom of God/Jesus.
6. Why did Jesus command them to be silent about this (from other Gospels)?
There was a number of reasons. One was perhaps to not arouse jealousy from the other disciples. Probably the most important reason is that the crowds misunderstood what Jesus came for and if they heard more stories of how great Jesus was, they would rebel against Rome.